1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recording apparatus such as a word processor, printer and the like, and more particularly, it relates to a recording apparatus wherein the recording is performed by reciprocally shifting a convey member mounted on a recording means in a direction widthwise of a recording medium.
2. Related Background Art
Recently, in recording systems such as word processors, printers and the like, a recording apparatus, wherein a recording medium is intermittently conveyed in a predetermined direction by a convey roller mechanism (conveying means) and an image is recorded on the recording medium by scanning a carriage mounting thereon an ink jet recording head (recording means) in a direction perpendicular to a recording medium feeding direction, has been developed and practically used.
For example, referring to an ink jet printer shown in FIG. 12, a recording sheet 80 is supplied in a direction shown by the arrow A by means of a sheet supply mechanism (not shown) and is fed between feed guides 82a, 82b supported by a bottom plate 81 of the printer. Then, the recording sheet 80 is fed until it reaches a nip between an auxiliary scanning roller 84a and an auxiliary scanning driven roller 84b supported by bearing portions 83a, 83b.
Thereafter, by rotating the auxiliary scanning roller 84a and the auxiliary scanning driven roller 84b, the recording sheet 80 is directed to a nip between an ejector roller 87a and an ejector driven roller 87b supported between bearing portions 86a, 86b while being supported by a platen 85 secured to the bottom plate 81. The auxiliary scanning roller 84a and the ejector roller 87a are rotated by a driven force from a convey motor 88. The bearing portions 83a, 83b and the bearing portions 86a, 86b are formed on left and right side plates 95, 96 uprightly formed on the bottom plate 81, and the auxiliary scanning roller 84a and the auxiliary scanning driven roller 84b, and the ejector roller 87a and the ejector driven roller 87b are positioned by the side plates 95, 96.
A recording head 90 mounted on a carriage 89 is disposed above the platen 85, and a timer belt 92 extending between motor pulleys 91a, 91b is connected to the carriage 89. The motor pulley 91a is driven by a main scanning motor 93 to reciprocally shift the carriage 89 along a main scanning rail (guide rail) 94. The recording head 90 has removable ink cartridges (black cartridge 90BK, cyan cartridge 90C, maganta cartridge 90M, yellow cartridge 90Y) including therein ink having four colors, and has a plurality of nozzles extending in directions perpendicular to a shifting direction of the carriage 89, so that the ink is discharged toward the platen 85 in response to image information.
When the carriage 89 scans the recording sheet 80 supported by the platen 85 through the main scanning motor 93, the recording is effected by discharging the ink from the recording head. Whenever one-line recording is finished, the recording sheet 80 is fed by a predetermined amount in the direction A by driving the auxiliary scanning roller 84a and the ejector roller 87a.
In the above-mentioned recording apparatus, when the recording sheet 80 is jammed by being caught by any constructural element of the apparatus during the feeding of the recording sheet, it is necessary to remove the jammed recording sheet 80. In the past, the jammed sheet was removed by retracting a sheet supply cassette (not shown) and then by pulling the jammed sheet by hand, or by lifting the auxiliary scanning driven roller 84b and the ejector driven roller 87b upwardly and then by inserting the hand from a downstream side of the sheet feeding direction between the auxiliary scanning roller 84a and the auxiliary scanning driven roller 84b or between the ejector roller 87a and the ejector driven roller 87b, thus removing the jammed recording sheet 80.
However, in the above-mentioned jam treatments, there arose the following problems. That is to say, when the recording sheet 80 is jammed after it is supplied from the sheet supply cassette for a small distance, since the operator's hand inserted from the sheet ejecting direction does not reach the jammed recording sheet, the jammed sheet must be removed by retracting the sheet supply cassette from the recording apparatus; however, in so doing, there was concern that a leading end of the jammed sheet would be torn and remain in the apparatus, thus obstructing the further or next sheet supplying operation. Further, when the jam treatment is effected by inserting the operator's hand between the auxiliary scanning roller 84a and the auxiliary scanning driven roller 84b or between the ejector roller 87a and the ejector driven roller 87b, there was concern that the operator's finger(s) touched roller surface(s), thus smearing the latter, with the result that, during the next recording operation, the smudge would adhere to the recording sheet 80 to worsen the image quality. Further, since the auxiliary scanning roller 84a and the auxiliary scanning driven roller 84b, and the ejector roller 87a and the ejector driven roller 87b are positioned by the bearing portions 83a, 83b and the bearing portions 86a, 86b formed in the left and right side walls 95, 96 uprightly formed on the bottom plate 81, respectively, if the jam treatment was effected by lifting the auxiliary scanning driven roller 84b and the ejector driven roller 87b, there was concern that the positional accuracy of the conveying means with respect to the recording head 90 would be changed after the jam treatment.
In order to solve the above problems, it is necessary to provide various spaces in the apparatus for facilitating the insertion of the operator's hand; however, this results in a large-sized apparatus. Particularly, in a recording apparatus wherein the recording sheet 80 can be supplied from a plurality of overlapped sheet supply cassettes, since it is necessary to insert the operator's hand between the cassettes, there is concern of an inefficient use of space.